Double hat tricks key IceMen's offensive explosion, victory

DANIEL R. PATMORE / SPECIAL TO THE COURIER & PRESS
The IceMen's Cody Beach comes from behind to try to take the puck away from Toledo Walleye's Adam Hobson as the Walleye's Philippe Paradis looks on in the first half of Friday night's game at the Ford Center.

DANIEL R. PATMORE / SPECIAL TO THE COURIER & PRESS
The IceMen's Patrick Kennedy tries to get the puck away from Toledo Walleye's Andrej Novak as the IceMen's Jason Dale looks on in the first half of Friday night's game at the Ford Center.

Wade MacLeod didn't waste much time making himself at home Friday night, scoring the Evansville IceMen's first hat trick at the Ford Center.

Not to be outdone, Nathan Moon needed only 81 more seconds to match thefranchisemilestone in an 8-5 victory over the Toledo Walleye in ECHL action.

"It's pretty funny that it happened like that," said Moon, who now has eight goals in 20 games with Evansville. "We're going to laugh about it tonight."

Trailing 4-2 after the opening seconds of the second period, the IceMen finally got serious about taking care of business against a Toledo team they had beaten in two previous meetings.

It was MacLeod's second goal that sparked a three-goal flurry by the IceMen in a span of 45 seconds to erase Toledo's two-goal advantage. A second-year pro, MacLeod scored with just over five minutes left in the period and Moon kept pace by striking for his second at the 15:25 mark for a 4-4 tie. Sixteen seconds later Sebastian Wannstrom gave Evansville a lead it wouldn't relinquish with a blast from the left side.

"That was one big minute that turned it around," said IceMen head coach and general manager Rich Kromm. "That was a huge momentum shift."

MacLeod made sure of it. Just 1:37 into the third period, he had his first hat trick since juniors hockey. Moon quickly followed him into the franchise record books to make it 7-4.

But because he was the first to have caps thrown on the ice in his honor, it was only fitting MacLeod was named the No. 1 star of the game.

Now the trick for the IceMen will be keeping him around. MacLeod said he was only sent down by the AHL's Springfield Falcons on Thursday so he could squeeze in a couple of games while the Triple-A affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets is on a road trip.

"They figured he could help us out and he could get some ice time," said Kromm, whose team hosts Cincinnati tonight at 7:15.

MacLeod responded with his first goal 13:58 into the first period to give Evansville a 2-1 lead. He took it from there, scoring in each of the three periods.

"It seemed like the puck was finding my stick, and when that happens you get opportunities and you just try to bury it," said MacLeod. "I got lucky on a couple and they went in.

"But everybody played good. Mooner played an unreal game, too, and got his own hat trick and (goaltender Allen) York came in and shut the door."

nBefore the game, the IceMen announced a three-player trade with the Orlando Solar Bears that will add veteran right wing Kevin Baker to Evansville's roster. In exchange, Orlando received center Dale Mahovsky and right wing Dan Gendur.